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CMU Chamber Choir Goes West

April 23, 2012 – The CMU Chamber Choir is on the road again for their year-end performance tour.

This year’s tour will take the choir out west – where they will travel to various communities in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia, and perform at 14 locations during their April 23 to May 6 tour.

Travelling together with the CMU Chamber choir and its Conductor Rudy Schellenberg are CMU Enrolment Director Lois Nickel (Apr. 23 – 29) and CMU President Gerald Gerbrandt (Apr. 29 – May 6).

Last year, during its April 2011 tour, the CMU Chamber Choir visited churches and schools in North Dakota, Minnesota, Ontario, and Manitoba.

“This year-end tour is a great way for us to showcase the talents of our students to the broader community, demonstrating the discipline and art of music-making at CMU, and to celebrate the finish of another year of hard work,” says Schellenberg. “It also provides an opportunity for choral music lovers in western Canada to participate in worship concerts with our CMU Chamber Choir.”

“We’re so pleased to have President Gerbrandt and Enrolment Director Lois Nickel accompany the tour,” says Church and Alumni Coordinator Eleanor Braun, tour organizer. “Having President Gerbrandt on tour is particularly special, as he retires as President on June 30. He has been very involved in the CMU community throughout his time as president, and the 2012 tour provides an opportunity to connect with friends and alumni from western Canada.”

In addition to their tour performances, CMU choirs perform at various worship services in Manitoba throughout the year, and collaborate and perform with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra at its internationally recognized New Music Festival.

CMU Chamber Tour Schedule

April 23 | 7:30 PM
Parkland Community Church
78 South Front St, Yorkton, SK

April 24 | 6 PM Dinner, 7:30 PM Program
Celebration Event together with Rosthern Jr. College Chorale
Hosted by Osler Mennonite Church
212- 2nd Ave, Osler, SK

April 25 | 7:30 PM
Bergthal Mennonite Church
Didsbury, AB

April 26 | 7:30 PM
Singing together with the Okanogan Festival Singers, conducted by Leroy Wiens
First Mennonite Church
1305 Gordon Dr, Kelowna, BC

April 27 | 7:30 PM
Singing together with the MEI Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, conducted by Dean Wedel
Mennonite Educational Institute
4081 Clearbrook Rd, Abbotsford, BC

April 28 | 7:00 PM
Emmanuel Mennonite Church
3471 Clearbrook Rd, Abbotsford, BC

April 29 | 11:00 AM
Langley Mennonite Fellowship
20997 40 Ave, Langley, BC

April 29 | 7:00 PM
Singing together with the Vancouver Peace Choir,
conducted by Timothy Corlis, and the Richmond Youth Honour Choir, directed by Heidi Epp
Peace Mennonite Church
11571 Daniels Rd, Richmond, BC

May 1 | 7:30 PM
First United Mennonite Church
659 East 52nd Ave, Vancouver, BC

May 2 | 7:00 PM
Singing together with the Sea to Sky Singers, directed by Veronica McPhee
St. John the Divine Anglican Church
1930 Diamond Rd, Squamish, BC

May 3 | 7:30 PM
Sardis Community Church
45625 South Sumas Road, Chilliwack, BC

May 4 | 7:30 PM
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
1136 6 Ave, Kamloops, BC

May 5 | 6:45 PM
Concert and Desert Fundraiser
At Menno Simons Christian School
7000 Elkton Dr SW, Calgary, AB

May 6 | 10:45 AM
Highland MB Church
4018 Centre B St NW, Calgary, AB

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CMU Singers Begin Year-End Tour

April 23, 2012 – With the spring academic term over, the CMU Singers are wrapping up their time together by embarking on a final one-week tour, with seven performances scheduled for their April 24 to April 29 tour.

This year’s tour will see the singers going east to communities in Indiana and Ontario. Last year’s tour destinations for the CMU Singers included Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

Conductor of the CMU Singers is Dr. Janet Brenneman, CMU Assistant Professor of Music. Also travelling with the tour as a guest speaker for congregations is CMU’s Dr. Dan Epp-Tiessen, Associate Professor of Bible.

“This year-end tour is a wonderful way for our students to finish off another year of hard work, and to share their efforts with the broader community,” says Brenneman. “We appreciate this special commitment that our students make to share their music with our church families in other regions. The tour provides a chance for choral music lovers to participate in worship concerts put on by our exceptional choir ensembles.”

The CMU Choirs are auditioned, mixed ensembles whose members demonstrate high calibre talent and strong vocal proficiency. Each year, CMU choirs study and perform a challenging body of choral repertoire chosen from a variety of genres and styles, providing opportunity for advanced students to strengthen and increase their musicianship. The groups perform regularly in concert and in worship throughout Manitoba, and embark on yearly tours such as this, across Canada and Northern U.S.A.

“Choir tours are one of the ways that we like to connect with CMU friends and alumni across Canada and the United States,” says CMU Church and Alumni Relations Coordinator Eleonore Braun. “Through these tours, we look forward to meeting new people, renewing friendships, and worshipping together.

CMU Singers 2912 Tour Schedule

April 24 | 7:00 PM
Eighth Street Mennonite Church
602 S 8th St, Goshen, IN

April 25 | 7:30 PM
Floradale Mennonite Church
22 Florapine Rd, Floradale, ON

April 26 | 7:30 PM
Grantham MB Church
469 Grantham Ave, St. Catharines, ON

April 27 | 7:00 PM
Worshipping together with MCEC conference
United Mennonite Educational Institute
614 Mersea Road 6, Leamington, ON

April 28 | 6:45 PM
Concert and Desert Fundraiser
United Mennonite Educational Institute
614 Mersea Road 6, Leamington, ON
Please RSVP to Sheryl Penner 877.231.4570 or email shpenner@cmu.ca by April 16.

April 29 | 9:45 AM
Leamington United Mennonite Church
78 Oak St E, Leamington, ON

April 29 | 7:00 PM
Waterloo North Mennonite Church
100 Benjamin Rd, Waterloo, ON

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Events General News News Releases

Outtatown Grads Share Stories of Discovery

April 20, 2012 – On April 14 and 15, 92 graduates from the 2011-2012 Outtatown program gathered on the Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) campus to celebrate their experiences in Africa and South America.  They shared their experiences through stories and music during their two-day graduation program attended by family and friends, site leaders, and Outtatown and CMU faculty and staff.

CMU’s largest-ever program for Outtatown featured four teams travelling to South Africa, Guatemala, or Burkina Faso. The many highlights from the different teams included a meeting with a conservation organization working among indigenous people in one of Guatemala’s high-altitude rainforests, and a rare visit with South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Students participating in the new French West Africa program discovered historic and cultural connections linking the cities of Winnipeg, Montreal, Paris, and Ouagadougou.

“One of the highlights for me was hearing students talk about their experience of community,” says Outtatown Director Cameron Priebe. In Burkina Faso, students encountered a culture in which one’s sense of identity is deeply rooted in family, community, church, and nationality.

 About a third of the graduates plan to continue their studies at CMU in the fall.

The Outtatown Discipleship School is a unique and enriching program of serving and learning for students seeking a life-changing experience of adventure, travel, service, and Christian studies.

Through participation in Outtatown, students may earn up to 18 university credit hours for the academic work completed during their programs. Outtatown offers two-semester programs at site locations in Guatemala and South Africa, and a one-semester program in French Africa.

 

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MSC’s J. Buckland Launches “Hard Choices”

 April 17, 2012 –  Menno Simons College Professor Jerry Buckland’s non-fiction book Hard Choices: Financial Exclusion, Fringe Banks and Poverty in Urban Canada, published by The University of Toronto Press, was launched at Winnipeg’s McNally Robinson Booksellers on April 5, 2012.

 Much of the research for the book was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).  In 2006, Buckland, who teaches International Development Studies, was awarded an SSHRC grant to conduct important research into financial exclusions and poverty, with the end goal of fostering better accessibility through community organizations, financial service providers, and government.

 Buckland notes that when low-income city dwellers lack access to mainstream banking services, many end up turning to fringe banks, such as cheque-cashers and pawnshops, for some or all of their financial transactions. In his powerful study, Hard Choices, Buckland takes a comprehensive look at this predicament of financial exclusion faced by those underserved by conventional financial institutions.

Buckland’s book, which is the first account of the nature and causes of financial exclusion in Canada, thoroughly integrates economic and social data on consumer choice, bank behaviour, and government policy. Buckland demonstrates why the current two-tier system of banking is dysfunctional, especially in the context of new credit products that aggravate income inequality and stifle local economic growth.

Jerry Buckland is a professor at Menno Simons College (MSC). MSC is a College of Canadian Mennonite University and affiliated with The University of Winnipeg.

 Menno Simons College is one of the world’s largest centres for peace and justice studies. The College provides education flowing from Anabaptist Mennonite understandings of faith, peace, and justice while engaging other religious traditions and intellectual perspectives. MSC fosters a learning community that prepares students from diverse backgrounds for participation and leadership in local and global communities. Considered a pioneer in International Development Studies and Conflict Resolution Studies, MSC offers a wide range of courses and experienced faculty in these areas, along with practicum opportunities and supporting scholarships. 

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Janzen Competition Showcases Talent

April 9, 2012 – The 7th annual Verna Mae Janzen music competition at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) welcomed audiences for a public performance showcasing CMU’s talented instrumentalists and vocalists. The event required  a preliminary round of performances in the first week of March, followed by the competition finals that took place March 29 in the Laudamus Auditorium.

Competitors in this year’s finals were: Anna Bigland-Pritchard, soprano; Rebecca Klassen-Wiebe, piano; Rebecca Hill, soprano; Daniel Bergman, tenor; Josiah Brubacher, tenor; Rocio Martinez, soprano; and Courtney Dugan, mezzo soprano.

CMU awarded first place honours to Rebecca Hill. Rebecca Klassen-Wiebe won second place, and Anna Bigland-Pritchard won third.                                                                From left: Rebecca Hill, Peter  Janzen,
                                                                                                                                                                                       Rebecca Klassen-Wiebe, Anna Bigland-Pritchard

The Verna Mae Janzen Competition is made possible each year through the generous contributions of the event sponsor and prize donor Peter Janzen, from Deep River, Ontario. Janzen established the competition in memory of his wife, Verna Mae, who died of cancer in 1989 at age 53 and who shared the joy of singing with her husband. This was Janzen’s seventh year of travelling to Winnipeg to attend the competition.

“As founder of the Verna Mae Janzen competition, Mr. Janzen takes an avid interest in the development of our students,” says CMU competition organizer Henriette Schellenberg. “We are grateful for his interest and for his support for our student musicians and singers. It is gratifying to see the quality of performances, and to see how much our students appreciate having an opportunity to showcase their talents in a competition of this level.” 

This year’s competition juror was distinguished conductor Henry Engbrecht, Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies in the Faculty of Music at University of Manitoba. Engbrecht is a renowned conductor within the Manitoba community and abroad. He has trained a generation of conductors and teachers in Manitoba, acting as a model of excellence to them as well.

“CMU very much appreciated the privilege of welcoming Professor Engbrecht as this year’s juror,” says Schellenberg. “Receiving feedback from an expert provided competitors with an experience to grow and learn as musicians.”

The response from the audience to this year’s expanded program was very positive, says Schellenberg. “They really loved the variety, especially this year because of the different instruments.” 

 One thing that has not changed from previous competitions is the excellent performances of the competitors, especially those who reach the competition finals. Says Schellenberg: “I was pleased with the high calibre performances from CMU students and proud of the efforts that went into preparing for the Verna Mae Janzen competition.”

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CSOP Special Event with Piet Meiring, Cara Luft

March 30, 2011 – Canadian School of Peacebuilding (CSOP), an Institute of Canadian Mennonite University (CMU), warmly welcomed Piet Meiring back to its campus for three days in March. Meiring presented  a workshop , participated in a special “Evening of Story and Song,” also featuring musician Cara Luft, and shared personal reflections of his faith journey, in conversation and a chapel presentation, during his visit.  

 “We are blessed to have Piet Meiring to share with us,” said CSOP Co-director Val Smith, introducing Meiring during his March 14 to 16 visit. “Piet has taught, spoken, and advised on reconciliation, restorative justice, and truth in settings worldwide – in Israel, Palestine, Rwanda, Ireland, Fiji, and Canada.  He is a wise and humble person who seems equally at home speaking a prophetic word to government leaders…and telling stories of African elephants to my kids.”

 For three decades, Meiring was involved with the church’s struggle against apartheid in South Africa, and he had to challenge his own denomination on this issue.  He served with Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the South Africa Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).  Meiring is an emeritus professor at the University of Pretoria and an ordained minister in the Dutch Reformed Church.

 “He has lived a life guided by his faith in Christ, a life that is a model of faithful living in difficult circumstances, a life through which God’s face has been allowed to shine,” said Smith.

 Participants in the March 14 day-long workshop had an opportunity to engage with Meiring during his session, titled, “The Perennial Quest for Truth and Reconciliation: Learning from one another’s experiences.”   

 The “Evening of Song and Story” on March 15 featured a time of sharing with Meiring, and performances by renowned singer, songwriter, and guitarist Cara Luft, who shared her music with an appreciative crowd. 

 An artist steeped in folk and traditional roots music, Luft enjoys stretching the boundaries, unafraid to bend genres and styles.  Luft is a former founding member of Juno award-winning folk music trio The Wailin’ Jennys.  Her sense of honesty, integrity, personality, and spontaneity permeate and resonate in her music and her live performances.

At the March 16 Chapel service, Meiring shared reflections on God’s “windows of faith, hope, and love” that sustained him during the apartheid period and throughout his TRC work.  He describes his time serving on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as “this painful, wonderful, agonizing journey through South Africa, (to) make sense of the past, and find our way into the future.”

 “The Lord opened my eyes in many, many ways – and made me look through his windows at the reality,” says Meiring.

 “The future of the world, of reconciliation,” says Meiring, “…does not depend in the first instance on better structures, important though they are.  It is dependent on people’s hearts, on personal relationships between people.  I came to realize that time and time again in South Africa.  It was love that reined:  the willingness to forgive. People astounded one another.  It was a painful but exhilarating experience.

 “…Stand at the window of love,” Meiring says, “and you are astounded at what God has done for us.  But you are also from time to time astounded if you see how people are translating their profession of love into action. And when that happens, you will know that swords are beaten into ploughshares and that spears are turned into pruning hooks… My prayer for you in Winnipeg is that Winnipeg will stand out as a place where a monument is erected for faith and hope and love for the world to see.”

 Canadian Mennonite University, through Menno Simons College (CMU’s campus at The University of Winnipeg) and through its south Winnipeg Shaftesbury campus, offers one of the most comprehensive undergraduate program in peace and conflict studies in the world. CMU has over 1,700 students at its Shaftesbury Campus, at Menno Simons College in downtown Winnipeg, and enrolled through its Outtatown discipleship program. CMU is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

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CMU Blazers Recognize Athletes’ Achievements

March 30, 2012 –  Members of the CMU varsity soccer, basketball, and volleyball teams gathered earlier this month to recognize the outstanding achievements of CMU athletes   for the 2011-12 MCAC seasons.

One of CMU proudest accomplishments this year was the success of its varsity athletes in the classroom. CMU   honoured nine student-athletes for academic achievements    of 4.0 or higher:  (back row, l .to r.)  Jacob Miller, Christina Janzen, Vanessa Kornelson, Simon Dueck, Lindsay Braul, Rodger Toews, Josh Ewert; (front row, l .to r.): Nina Schroeder, Laura Tait 

The MCAC recognizes student-athletes who achieve a grade-point average of 3.0 (80%) or higher with academic awards for Scholar-Athletes. This year, 47 members of CMU varsity teams received recognition for their classroom success (69% of all team members) at CMU’s March 11, 2012 Athletics Awards Banquet.

Evelyn Kampen took home her second-consecutive Female Athlete of the Year honours. The fifth-year women’s volleyball star completed her final year at CMU in style, winning her third-consecutive conference MVP honours last month.

Other major award winners included Jacob Miller of the men’s basketball team who was selected Male Athlete of the Year. The 5’10 second-year guard was selected to the MCAC All-Conference Team for the first-time earlier this month and helped lead the Blazers to a first-place finish in the regular season.

The Trailblazer Award, given to a student-athlete who showed excellence in team leadership and community service was awarded to Todd Reimer of the men’s volleyball team. The 5’10 outside hitter from Rosenort has captained the Blazers and will be graduating from CMU this spring.

The following athletes were honoured by their CMU coaches with varsity team awards:

Women’s Soccer
Rookie of the Year – Amy Carlson
Outstanding Graduate – Chrissy Scheerer
Most Valuable Player – Maraleigh Short

Men’s Soccer
Rookie of the Year – Simon Dueck
Most Valuable Player – Sean Dyck

Women’s Volleyball
Rookie of the Year – Taylor Bain
Outstanding Graduate – Kathleen Vitt
Most Valuable Player – Evelyn Kampen

Men’s Volleyball
Rookie of the Year – Selanne Sangalang
Outstanding Graduate – Josh Krueger
Most Valuable Player – Todd Reimer

Women’s Basketball
Rookie of the Year – Darcie Donald
Outstanding Graduates – Meghan Kjartanson, Mallory Shack
Most Valuable Player – Nina Schroeder

Men’s Basketball
Rookies of the Year – Matt Koenig, Matej Juric
Outstanding Graduate – Nick Miller
Most Valuable Player – Wyatt Anders

Canadian Mennonite University has over 1,700 students at its Shaftesbury Campus, at Menno Simons College in downtown Winnipeg, and enrolled through its Outtatown discipleship program. CMU is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

For Athletics Information, contact CMU Athletics Director Russell Willms: rwillms@cmu.ca

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Audio Faculty interviews Sunday@CMU Radio

Sue Sorensen – Reflections on West of Eden

Sue Sorensen, Assistant Professor of English
Interview Date: January 17, 2010

In this interview, David Balzer, host of Sunday@CMU Radio, caught up with Sue Sorensen to discuss West of Eden, a critical compilation of Prairie literature edited by Sue and published by the CMU Press.

[audio:http://www.cmu.ca/media_archive/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/100117SueSorensen.mp3|titles=100117SueSorensen]
Play/Download Here 

Contact: ssorensen@cmu.ca

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Audio Student interviews Sunday@CMU Radio

Daniel Paetkau – Practicum in Georgia

Daniel Paetkau
CMU English Major
Interview Date: March 11, 2012

In this audio feature from a CMU Chapel service, Daniel Paetkau shares about his practicum with Jubilee Partners teaching English to refugees and newly landed immigrants in Atlanta, Georgia during the summer of 2011.

[audio:http://www.cmu.ca/media_archive/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/20120311DanielPaetkau.mp3|titles=20120311DanielPaetkau]
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Audio Faculty interviews Sunday@CMU Radio

Dietrich Bartel – Music as a Relational Encounter

Dietrich Bartel
Dean of Music (2011)
Interview Date: September 18, 2011

In this two-part interview, Dietrich Bartel speaks with David Balzer – host of Sunday@CMU Radio, about music in human relationships and encounters with the Divine, and the practice of music therapy.

Part 1
[audio:http://www.cmu.ca/media_archive/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/20110918DietrichBartel1.mp3|titles=20110918DietrichBartel1]
Play/Download Here

Part 2
[audio:http://www.cmu.ca/media_archive/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/20110925DietrichBartel2.mp3|titles=20110925DietrichBartel2]
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For more info on Dietrich Bartel, click here.